According to recent study by environmental and energy think tank Climate Risk Horizon, India’s green hydrogen move may worsen pollution if steps are not in place to curb fossil fuel emissions in green hydrogen production.
India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, piloted by the ministry of new and Renewable energy expected to manufacture green hydrogen five million tonnes by 2030.
Present issue in Green Hydrogen Production:
- Lack of Transparency: The report notes that majority of projects have not disclosed their electricity sources and it remains unclear whether the few projects that have made commitments are meeting 100% of their electricity requirements from renewable sources.
- Continuous operation of electrolysers: If electrolysers (essential for green hydrogen production) run 24 into 7, they would need to operate at night when there is no solar power is available. This would likely be drawing electricity from a conventional coal fired grid, using which could increase carbon emission.
Significance of Green Hydrogen:
- Achieving emission targets: Green Hydrogen is vital for India to meet its nationally determined contribution (NDC) targets and ensure regional and national energy security, access and availability.
Under the Paris climate Agreement India played to reduce the emission intensity of its economy by 33.35% from 2005 levels by 2030.
- Reducing Import Dependence: The development of green hydrogen projects can create a new technology market in India worth $18.20 billions and thousands of jobs.
Way forward:
- Policy makers must facilitate investment in early-stage piloting and research development needed to advance the technology use for India.
- Hydrogen infra can be set up for refuelling, heating and generating electricity sat airports.